


Well Fuck You Too

by Daovihi



Category: Forgotten Realms, The Legend of Drizzt Series - R. A. Salvatore, Wiedźmin | The Witcher - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universes, Canon Divergence, Hugs, Love at First Sight, Near Death Experiences, Other, Panic Attacks, Self-Harm, Soulmates, canon alcoholism, cedric is a poor baby, kellindil is a dick, kellindil's gender: trash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-23
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2019-02-06 01:08:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 9,596
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12806280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Daovihi/pseuds/Daovihi
Summary: What Cedric thought would be an ordinary day turned out to be... well... let's just say there's a time traveler slash someone who might be from an alternate universe sitting in his bedroom and drawing dicks on the wall.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hoo boy, I can tell this is going to be another long one. Anyway, since most of my readers will probably be from the Witcher fandom, I'm going to fill you in on a few things, just in case: Kellindil is a minor character from Sojurn, the third book in the "Legend of Drizzt" series by R. A. Salvatore. At first, he opposes the protagonist, Drizzt, but he later on saves his life multiple times, although Drizzt is not aware of this. Near the end of the book, he captures this racist bounty hunter guy (can't remember his name) who is pursuing Drizzt for no reason. Racist bounty hunter guy escapes and kills Kellindil via strangulation, then continues to pursue Drizzt.
> 
> You can blame linaswalaf on tumblr for this fic, plus the headcanons regarding Kellindil. They dragged me into this hell into the first place.

Cedric pried the trap apart, freeing his now-dead prize, a large rabbit nearly chopped in half. Blood had already dried in its fur, and the pelt was likely ruined. Cedric pocketed it anyway. Waste not, want not.

"At least you died a quick death…" Cedric whispered as he stood up, so as to not scare off any potential animals. A sharp pain shot through him, just beneath his chest, and he winced. Memories of when he defended a pretty lady surged through his mind, forcing him to remember the injuries that damn near took his life.

Cedric choked back tears as he rubbed his scar. He fished through his pockets and pulled out a flask with shaky hands. His fingers trembled violently as he reached for the cap. Tears slid unwanted as the flask slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.

"No, no, no!" Cedric screamed, falling to his knees. "No, no, I need it!"

Cedric fumbled around, tears blurring his vision to the point he could only blindly grope around for his precious flask. Soon, however, he gave up. He curled up into a ball and sobbed his heart out.

\-----

Kellindil gasped and wheezed in vain as he weakly pushed against his attacker. His strength left him with each passing second. Slowly, his vision grew dark, and he grew too tired to fight, resist, or even try to breathe. His arms dropped to his sides, numb and useless as consciousness faded into almost nothingness. By the time his former prisoner let go, there was nothing Kellindil could do. He was simply too weak to take in another breath, let alone grab his bow and shoot his attacker.

Kellindil vaguely registered in the back of his mind his attacker leaving. Death was so near he could almost taste it. And for once, he welcomed it. He had spent his whole life fighting, and though he wasn't quite in a fight, he was glad to die fighting. It's what he's always wanted, after all.

A strange sensation tugged at his chest, then the scent of ozone filled the air. If Kellindil was coherent enough to understand, he would have been confused. However, his oxygen-deprived brain thought nothing of it as he was plunged into sudden cold, then heat, then cold again, and then…

Then he was falling.

\-----

Cedric let out a shaky breath as he wiped the tears from his eyes. He forced himself to stand up and dust himself off, mindful of the trap next to him. Then, he looked around for his flask. After a moment, he found it between his feet. Cedric chuckled and shook his head as he picked up his flask, noting none of his precious booze had spilled.

"Where… where had you been?" Cedric laughed, shaking his head once again. "If… if I had you, I wouldn't have…"

Cedric stopped himself right there and then before he could think about his… incident, or about his churning emotions. He sighed, and decided he had enough of hunting for today. It was time to go home. He emotionally picked himself up and walked his way back to his treehouse.

About halfway on his journey back home, Cedric detected the distinct smell of ozone. He stopped, sniffing the air. Something was not… right, wasn't the right word for it. Off, Cedric decided, feeling how strangely uncomfortable the air around him felt.

Then, the feeling suddenly stopped. Tree branches broke, and down fell a strange figure, just a few feet in front of Cedric. After a moment of shock, Cedric looked down at said figure and found it to be an elf in strange clothing, with red hair and slightly thinner and longer ears than what most people would consider to be normal. After a moment, Cedric realized he couldn't tell what their gender was, but that wasn't important. What was important was that the stranger wasn't moving.

"Uh… hello?" Cedric called out to the stranger. 

No response.

Cedric reached down and poked the stranger's face. "Hey! You awake?"

No response.

"Wake up!" Cedric lightly slapped the stranger on the cheek.

No response.

Cedric pressed two fingers to the stranger's inner wrist, relieved to find a pulse. He then pressed his head to (his? her?) chest and listened. No breaths were made by the stranger.

"Shit!" Cedric shot up and examined his neck. Nail marks were present in the stranger's neck, with slight trails of blood leaking from them. "Strangulation?! Fuck!"

Cedric's eyes darted across the stranger's body, searching for an answer as to what he should do. No such clue popped out at him, leaving Cedric to force an answer from his brain.

"Think, think… What do you do when someone's not breathing? Breaths? CPR? But that's for drowning victims…"

Cedric pondered his options, and decided to just fuck it and give the stranger respiratory breaths. He bent over, pinched the stranger's nose, completely covered their mouth with Cedric's own, and forced air into their lungs. After two seconds, Cedric stopped and pushed himself back up.

Cedric waited a few seconds, then repeated the process. This time, however, the stranger managed to take a few deep gasps on their own. They coughed and spluttered, lungs finally functional. Cedric turned them on their side and laid their arm beneath their head as a pillow.

"It's okay, I've got you, you're gonna be fine."

\-----

Kellindil had not expected anything, but he was still surprised to see he had woken up. He simply laid there, wheezing like there's no tomorrow, then his body was thrown into a coughing fit. He curled in on himself as his lungs seized and convulsed.

"Easy, easy, ride it out…" Soothing hands lifted Kellindil into a sitting position, whispering comforting words as he metaphorically coughed up his lungs (though it felt very literal to him). Those same hands rubbed his back as the fit passed, bringing him into a sense of ease. "There you go. Remember to breathe, you need the air."

Kellindil took a few deep breaths, ignoring his heavily protesting throat. "Where…?" He rasped out before giving out a few dry coughs.

"Shh, don't talk." Someone laid Kellindil down onto his back, with a pillow - several, judging by the height - underneath his head. Kellindil heard a pop, and then something… brown? Gray? It was hard to tell from how close it was to his face. "Water?"

Kellindil opened his mouth, giving silent affirmation. Cool water flowed into his mouth, then stopped suddenly. Kellindil held what water was in his mouth for a moment, then he tried to swallow. Key word tried. For some reason, his throat simply would not cooperate with him.

"Oh dear…" Kellindil heard the stranger say. "Must be larynx damage. Here," What appeared to be a bucket was shoved under Kellindil's nose. "Spit it out."

Kellindil propped himself up and spat out the water, just not in the way the stranger expected. The water came out in a violent spray, showering what Kellindil hoped to be the face of the stranger.

"…Really?"

Kellindil chuckled, despite how much it hurt to do so.

"You missed me, nerco."

Kellindil frowned. Now that he took a good look at his surroundings, he found that the stranger was to his side, not in front of him. Said stranger was looking at him with a slightly annoyed expression. Kellindil flipped him the bird, earning a roll of the eyes in return.

"I save your life, and this is what I get?" The stranger shook his head. "Are you like this towards everyone that tries to help you?"

Kellindil shrugged.

The stranger huffed. "One second." The stranger stood up and walked to what Kellindil just realized is the other end of the room, where a drawer and a chair laid. The stranger took something off the top of the drawer and returned to Kellindil's side. "Here, write on this."

Kellindil took the offered paper and quill and immediately drew a dick and balls. The stranger just looked at him and sighed.

"What is your name?" He asked. 

Kellindil wrote his name on the paper. 

"Kell… Kellindil? Am I pronouncing that right?"

Kellindil nodded.

"My name is Cedric. I live here, in the forest. I hunt game, and I act as a lookout for Flotsam."

Kellindil mulled that information over. He's never heard of Flotsam. He wrote "Flotsam?" on the paper and showed it to Cedric.

"That's… the name of the town. Nearby." Cedric gave Kellindil a perplexed look. "Are you lost?"

Kellindil shrugged. He technically was lost, as he didn't recognize the town name, but he hadn't been lost earlier, before that racist guy he'd captured broke loose and tried to kill him. All this thinking was making Kellindil's head hurt, so he laid back down.

"Did someone attack you?" Cedric asked, glancing at Kellindil's neck. He got a nod in response. "Who? Scoia'Tael? Loredo's men?" 

Kellindil shook his head.

"Then who?" Cedric received another shrug. "Well, you're safe now." He patted Kellindil's knee. "If anyone shifty lurks about, I'll be the first to know."

Kellindil rolled his eyes and turned his head away.

"Buuuuut enough of my questions. Do you have any?"

"(Where exactly are we?)" Kellindil wrote.

"We're just outside the town of Flotsam, a harbor town. At the moment, a kayran is attacking any ships that come near, though, so Flotsam's been suffering as a result."

"(Body of water?)"

"I forget the name." Cedric shrugged. "Think it's a river, though. I always get the water terms mixed up."

"(What about the region name?)"

"Uhhh, we're… in Temeria, if that's what you're asking." Cedric thought about it. "This region in particular doesn't have a name, to my knowledge. It's just… Flotsam, and not Flotsam."

"(Temeria?)" Kellindil frowned as he wrote.

"…That's the name of the country, remember?"

Kellindil stared blankly at Cedric.

"You don't know of Temeria? Really?"

Kellindil nodded.

"…You're fucked, you know that?" Cedric groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Did you teleport here by accident or something? That's the only reason I can think of for you not knowing of Temeria."

"(Last thing I remember, I was being strangled.)" Kellindil wrote plainly.

"Shit, uh…" Cedric looked around. "I don't know what to tell you, to be honest. I don't have a world map, or anything, either."

Kellindil sighed. Something wasn't right. On a whim, he decided to ask, "(What year is it?)"

"1272." Cedric replied.

Kellindil simply stared at Cedric. Then, he burst out into pained laughter. He turned his body away from Cedric as his laughs turned into sobs.

"What is it?" Cedric laid his hand on Kellindil's shoulder. "Are… are you alright? Did you hit your head?"

Kellindil didn't reply, for he could not bring himself to. He knew he was nowhere near home. A dark part of him whispered that he wouldn't see home ever again. Kellindil curled up into a ball, clutching his knees tight to his chest as Cedric rubbed soothing circles into his shoulder.


	2. Chapter 2

It was strange, Kellindil thought as he dipped his paintbrush in ink. Cedric was… he was obviously an elf, but he was different from the other elves. His ears were pathetic to the point (hehe) where he looked to be a half-elf. When Kellindil asked about this, however, Cedric just looked at him weird. Oh well. He'd figure out Cedric's heritage soon enough.

With long, thin strokes, Kellindil painted the outline of his soon-to-be masterpiece. Cedric wouldn't see this just yet, as he had already left. He said something about squirrels or whatever, and simply left. Kellindil had no idea when he would be back, so he worked fast. He placed a small dot, then set to work on drawing a million squiggles.

Come to think of it, Kellindil didn't recognize Cedric's language. He could understand it, but he couldn't name it. And apparently Cedric could read Universal, even though he too didn't recognize the language (Kellindil had asked about that. Cedric looked at him weird for that too). Kellindil briefly wondered how this was possible, but he dismissed the thought in favor of working on his art.

Kellindil repeated his motions over and over, adding more and more ink to his creation until he was finally finished. He took a few steps back and admired his work. It was truly fit for a museum.

Just then, the door opened. "Kellindil, you there…?" Cedric stepped into the room, took one look at the once relatively clean wall, and sighed, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a flask and uncorked it. After he took a long, deep swig, he finally spoke up. "I save your life and bring you into my home, and this is what you do in return."

Kellindil grinned. He looked at Cedric, then back to his work of art. He took a step forward and gave it one last detail, then put his brush down.

"Why, oh why," Cedric took a deep breath. "Did you paint all those dicks?"

Kellindil burst into pained laughter. He wheezed and panted at Cedric's face, which had twisted into an expression Kellindil had assumed was only possible in shitty doodles. Kellindil bent over and slapped his knee, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Ugh." Cedric shook his head and took off his purse. "Did anyone come by?"

Kellindil shook his head.

"Good, good." Cedric fished through his purse and pulled out some herbs. "Can you swallow, now?"

Kellindil shrugged. He went over to a bucket of water Cedric had placed earlier and grabbed the cup laying nearby. He scooped up some water and drank, finding it still hurt to drink, but at least his throat accepted the water. He gave Cedric a thumbs up.

"Good, because I brought herbs for tea." Cedric put down his bag and pushed past Kellindil. When he reached the fireplace, he poured the water bucket into a small kettle and set the kettle above the fire. "Now, since your throat's fucked up, I'm going to use peppermint, chamomile, blackberry leaves, and marshmallow root, hope you like those. But you want to drink slowly so you don't hurt yourself."

Kellindil rolled his eyes. Cedric must think he's a helpless baby or something. Then again, he likely found him at death's door, so maybe he had a right to be concerned.

"Could you grab some cups for us? They're in the cubboards, far right." Cedric requested as he took his shoes off.

Kellindil got two of said cups, two carved wooden mugs, one with a tree design, another with a flower design, and returned back to Cedric. He sat down by the fire, with his shoulder almost touching Cedric's as he waited for the water to boil.

"Where are you from?" Cedric asked after a pregnant pause. Kellindil just stared at him. "Oh, right, you need to write it out."

By the look on Kellindil's face, he was deeply regretting something.

"You used up all the ink for your dicks, didn't you?"

Kellindil nodded, ashamed.

"…For fucks sake, Kellindil." Cedric rubbed his temples. "First I drink the last of my booze, then you use all of my ink to paint dicks on my wall. I'm gonna go broke at this rate."

Kellindil blushed, and suddenly found his masterpiece to be highly fascinating. He hugged himself and shuffled away from Cedric, who was practically trying to meld his head and his hand together. Kellindil didn't look when the kettle began whistling. However, Cedric stopped to take it off the fire, cursing when he nearly dropped it.

It was then Cedric remembered something important, something essential to the universe itself- he forgot to prepare the herbs.

"Uh, Kell, can I call you that?"

Kellindil nodded.

"Could you-"

Kellindil was already on the task. He took the herbs and began to pluck of bits and pieces, putting the edible and useless parts in separate piles. Cedric put the kettle back and assisted Kellindil, though he didn't work as quickly as him. Together, they finished before five minutes were up.

Cedric whistled and sat up. "Wow, you're fast."

Kellindil grinned, flipping his long, red hair. Despite his earlier frustration, Cedric couldn't help but smile back. He stopped abrubtly and fumbled for the tea herbs, clumsily dumping half into each cup. He grabbed the kettle and poured water into each cup, almost spilling it with his fast and somewhat distracted motions. Once he poured each cup to almost brimming, he picked both up and held one to Kellindil, refusing to look at him. Kellindil took the offered cup, brought his open palm to his chin and lowered it, then tapped his cup to Cedric's.

"Bon appetit, I guess." Cedric risked a glance at Kellindil's face as he took a sip. Kellindil was still smiling, even as he raised his cup to his lips. Cedric choked on his tea, spilling it all over his clothes.

Kellindil couldn't repress his giggles and nearly spat out his tea. His own laughter made his hand shake, spilling tea on his crotch. All was silent as Cedric and Kellindil took in the situation, then they burst into laughter at the same time. Kellindil had to put down his cup just to keep from spilling tea everywhere.

"Oh, gods! Hahahahaha!" Cedric slapped Kellindil's knee as they both doubled over clutching their bellies.

Kellindil wheezed, wrapping an arm around Cedric's shoulders to support himself as his lungs ran out of air. Cedric laid his head on Kellindil's shoulder as his bout of giggles passed. Soon, the laughter soothed itself, and all became calm. Post-laugh bliss filled the room as Kellindil rubbed Cedric's shoulder.

"I have some pants you can borrow." Cedric offhandedly mentioned. "They might be a little big for you, but they should be wearable."

"Th…than…ks…" Kellindil whispered after a pause.

Cedric lifted his head and leaned back. He took a drink of his tea before standing up and heading to where he kept his clothes.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey, Kell," Cedric spoke up after he finished his dinner. "Want to go to the library? They recently built a new one. We could probably find a map or something for you, plus," Cedric leaned forward and whispered, "I heard they have lots of erotica."

Kellindil raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "When?" He hoarsly asked, throat still scratchy and sore.

Cedric looked out the window to see the world in a state of twilight. "We could go right now." At Kellindil's silence, he continued. "If we hurry, we might make it back before it gets dark out."

Kellindil shoved the last of his food in his mouth and stood up, grabbing his bow, which had miraculously survived his fall. He then went over to the door and put his shoes and socks on.

"So I guess we're going now."

Kellindil nodded. He took his bag of holding and tossed Cedric his own plainfully boring bag.

\-----

The walk to the library was surprisingly pleasant, considering the racist filth that roamed the streets and the dirt that lined every inanimate object in sight. Cedric kept his hand on Kellindil's back as they walked. For some reason, he felt… oddly protective of this immature, bizarre elf, with ears befitting a racist cariacature and height that placed him at Cedric's chin.

"You'd do best to be on your guard. I know from experience drunkards will start walking around soon, and they might attack us for being, well…"

As if on cue, a woman stepped out of a tavern, not drunk, but clearly not sober either. She sneered at the two elves who dared to exist in the same world as her, then turned on her heel and left Cedric and Kellindil behind. Kellindil flipped her off as soon as she turned her back, while Cedric just sighed.

"I'm not drunk enough for this shit." Cedric complained, shifting his arm to sidehug Kellindil. Kellindil looked at him weird for that, but leaned into the touch anyway. "Anyway, the library's nearby. It was founded after… you wouldn't know him, but the library was built in his house after he died… Let me backtrack a little: There was a man named Loredo, who controlled this town thanks to all the money he held in his purse. He… he was the definition of evil. He was greedy, he was racist, he was sexist, and he was a rapist. Luckily, a year ago, he died," Cedric smiled. "A long, painful, agonizing death. After his death, there was no strong leadership, so the nonhumans got together and sort of put themselves in charge. The new mayor, Delsaran Ensatra, decided to convert his old mansion into a public library, hospital, and safehouse for victims of abuse." After a pause, in which Cedric looked at Kellindil, he answered his unspoken question." Yes, it was done to spite Loredo. They originally wanted to completely destroy the place, but then I, because I had attended the meeting, suggested to turn it into a place for good… And if it would have made Loredo foam at the mouth, well, that would have been an added bonus."

Kellindil smirked, deciding at last to reciprocate Cedric's hug. He gave the bird to anyone that looked at them weird as he and Cedric walked down the street. Homophobes were crying all over town by the time Cedric reached the library. He hesitantly broke from Kellindil and opened the single door, holding it open. Kellindil sighed and stepped through, shortly followed by Cedric.

"Welcome! …Oh, hi there!" The deskwoman greeted. "Who's that with you?"

"This is Kellindil. He followed me home." Cedric joked, bumping fists with the deskwoman.

"Nice to meet you." The deskwoman held out the same hand to Kellindil, who promptly shook it. "I'm Mayla, how are you?"

Kellindil nodded.

"Uh, he can't talk right now. His throat's fucked."

"Oh, do you know sign language?" Mayla asked Kellindil, who shook his hand in response. "Which language?"

Kellindil made four rapid gestures, starting with a pinching position with the index finger sticking out, and ending with him holding up all but the thumb and the pinky finger, which he pressed together.

"D-R-O-W? Drow?"

Kellindil nodded.

"Uh, I've never heard of that, but it seems like it's similar to NSL. If you want, I can direct you to some books on that." Mayla pulled out a handmade directory as she spoke. Kellindil noted she only had one hand.

Kellindil held up his wrist and tapped it with two fingers.

"Oh, are you in a hurry?"

"We need a world map." Cedric answered.

"Let's see…" Mayla searched the directory with a finger. "There's a few in the nonfiction section, near the encyclopedias and the history books. Want me to take you there?"

"No, thank you. Have a good day."

"You too." Mayla smiled as Cedric guided Kellindil away. Once they were put of earshot, she whispered, "Now that is a cute couple."

\-----

Cedric rolled the map out onto the table, pinning it down with the provided paperweights. "Here you go. Now, where was this 'Icewind Dale' you mentioned?"

Kellindil leaned over and examined the map. Lands he had never even heard of dotted the map. Kovir, Redania, and the Temeria land Cedric mentioned were on the map, just to name a few. Kellindil shook his head, disregarding them in favor of searching the strange, unfamiliar land for his home. But no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find the Icewind Dale.

"U-uh, Ce…?" Kellindil looked up, expecting to find Cedric standing there. And he was… he was staring into nothing with one of the most terrified expression on his face. "Ce?!"

Cedric's lip tremebled in the calm before the storm. When Kellindil waved a hand in front of his face, the floodgates broke. Cedric screamed, ripping out his hair and sobbing like there was no one within miles. Before Kellindil could react, Cedric ran out the room, knocking over a few books. Kellindil stood there, staring at where Cedric had been. A few patrons glanced over, wondering what the fuck had happened. Only one set of footsteps came forward, eventually joining Kellindil.

"Did Cedric….?" Mayla stood by Kellindil's side. Kellindil nodded. "Oh, shit…"

Kellindil brought his middle finger to his forehead and took it away, wriggling it.

"Why did he have the panic attack, or why is it bad?" Mayla inquired.

Kellindil held up one finger.

"Apparently, he gets these… visions. I don't know a whole lot about them. Usually, he can manage them, but…" Mayla frowned. "Did you see where he went?"

Kellindil shrugged, then he pointed a finger to the direction he saw Cedric go in. He turned to Mayla and shook his hand.

"Shit, he could have gone anywhere, going that way. Let's split up, we'll cover more ground." Mayla pointed away. "You go that way. When you find Cedric and calm him down, meet me here."

\-----

The sounds of crying absolutely broke Kellindil's heart, but he followed them anyway. He rounded a corner, stepping into the aisle Cedric had planted himself in. Cedric had knocked down what seemed like a million books to build a pile to bury himself in. His top section was free, likely a side effect of him attempting to bash his head in with a shitty romance novel.

"Dric?" Kellindil ran to Cedric's side, calling out to him as best he could. "Dric?!"

Cedric's cheeks were red and stained with tears, with pink welts criss-crossing across the tear tracks. His forearms held numerous scratches, shallow but bleeding. When he saw Kellindil, he screamed and curled up into a ball, hiding his face behind the book.

"Ce…dric!" Kellindil held Cedric's hands, but he did not manhandle or wrestle with them. "Look at… look at me!"

Cedric slowly, shakily, took the book out of his face. "Kell…?"

Kellindil nodded. Cedric embraced Kellindil in a tight hug, keeping him close as he sobbed into his shoulder. After a pause, Kellindil returned the hug, rubbing soothing circles into Cedric's back. They stayed there for a while, two grown adults holding each other in a huge pile of books, then Cedric broke away to blow his nose.

"Feel… bet-ter?" Kellindil muttered, voice less raspy than earlier that day.

"Mhm." Cedric nodded, looking anywhere but Kellindil.

"What… happen…?"

"I… nevermind." Cedric clutched his book tight to his chest.

Kellindil rubbed Cedric's knee, using his free hand to take the books and place them in a neat stack. "Why… don't you… want?"

"It- There's- You'll-" Cedric began crying again. "There's nothing we can do!"

"Ce-dric." Kellindil took Cedric's hands again. "What's… wrong?"

Cedric shook his head, tears running freely from his eyes. Kellindil slid his hands to Cedric's back, this time initiating the hug. Cedric became a limp, sobbing mess in his arms.

"Please… say it… It's okay…"

"I, I, I saw," Cedric gulped, and then he screamed. "I saw your death!"


	4. Chapter 4

Kellindil kept a close hold on Cedric, guiding him through the poorly lit streets. A half moon was out, giving them only a little help in avoiding the cobblestones that seemed to be actively trying to trip them. Speaking of which, Cedric stumbled of said cobblestones, trying and failing to hold back his tears.

"Don't worry… don't worry…" Kellindil spoke, with a less scratchy throat than earlier. "Soon, we'll… be home."

"Thanks." Cedric choked out.

Kellindil adjusted his grip and looked around, suddenly realizing he might be lost. He poked Cedric in the side. "Where…?"

Cedric tore his gaze from the ground, finally taking a glance at his surroundings. It only took him a few seconds to fall to his knees sobbing.

"Dric?"

"Don't!" Cedric screamed. "Get out of here! Now!"

"What?" Kellindil crouched down, getting in front of Cedric. He paid the footsteps beind him no mind as he cupped Cedric's face. "Dric, what-?"

Cedric's eyes grew wide as dinner plates, and he pointed behind Kellindil. "Kell!!!"

Kellindil whipped around. Behind him, some thugs armed with various weapons were approaching. The ringleader, or at least what Kellindil assumed to be the leader, was staring him in the eye, fingering an intimidating dagger. When he stopped, the rest of them stopped.

"Well well well, what have we here." The bandit leader sneered, tightening his grip on his blade. "Two weak and pathetic knife-ears, all alone."

Kellindil stood up, shielding Cedric with his own body.

"What? Got nothing to say?" The leader smirked, pointing his knife at Kellindil's chest. His three underlings followed suit, brandishing their weapons, an axe, a blackjack, and a sword. "Fine. Give me all your money and we may let you live."

Kellindil narrowed his eyes, giving the bandits a death glare.

"Kell, please, lemme just…" Cedric fumbled for his coin purse with shaking fingers. Kellindil rolled his eyes and reached for his hunting knife…

Which was not strapped to his hip.

Kellindil's eyes shot open. He searched for any weapon on his person, any at all. But he didn't even have a butter knife on him. A brown leather purse was thrown at his feet. Kellindil took one look at the bandits and kicked the purse towards them.

"Thanks for not putting up a fight." The leader picked up the purse and pocketed it. The only warning he gave to Kellindil was a sadistic grin before he stabbed him.

Time seemed to freeze at Kellindi lurched back. Cedric stared in shock as Kellindil gave out a few coughs that, to him, sounded like nails being hammered into his coffin. Time slowed to a crawl as the bandit- Kellindil's murderer- yanked his knife out, with a scowl on his face. In that moment, Cedric came to a realization.

He had led Kellindil to his death.

Cedric couldn't cry, couldn't scream, couldn't even blink. He felt like a piece of him had been ripped out, rooting him in place. With his vision coming true, he couldn't move. Kellindil will die. Kellindil will die because of him.

"That would have hurt…" Kellindil's voice ripped Cedric out of his thoughts. He forced himself to listen, knowing these might be Kellindil's last words. "If I didn't…" Kellindil began unbuttoning his overcoat, prompting confusion from both Cedric and the robbers. "Have armor on!" Kellindil let his coat drop to the ground, revealing light armor underneath.

Before anyone could process that plot twist, Kellindil punched the bandit leader in the face and kneed him in the crotch. He twisted his arm and forced him to let go of his knife, effectively disarming him. It was then that the spell Kellindil had cast faded. The other bandits surged forward, weapons brandished and thirsting for elven blood. Cedric crawled onto his knees and forced himself into standing.

Kellindil took the dagger, and with one firm kick he pushed the leader into the bandits. The impact ended up both stunning the entire group and impaling said leader. Kellindil gave him a quick stab to the throat for good measure.

"Dric! Run!" Kellindil yelled, despite the pain it brought him. But he couldn't listen for Cedric's footsteps, for the bandits quickly freed themselves, pushing their buddy to the ground.

"It done killed Marv!"

"Technically, I didn't. You did." Kellindil sassed, hoarseness present in his voice. He sidestepped a blackjack blow and countered with an ineffective knife swing.

A bandit got behind Kellindil, who remained blissfully unaware of this change, too busy fending off blackjacks and swords. He raised his axe up and prepared to end a life. One single rock was what stopped him from doing so. One single rock hit him in the head, causing him to stumble to the side.

"Over here!" Cedric flipped off the axe murderer.

The bandit snarled, running towards the elf that was actually unarmed. Cedric grinned. He dodged several axe swings, clumsy from rage and a potential concussion. Cedric focused on the defensive, for he was unarmed. When the axe bandit grew weak and tired, Cedric struck. He punched him in the gut, knocking the wind out of him. He then attacked the neck, managing to knock him out.

The sword bandit snarled as Kellindil dodged and even deflected his blows. Clearly, they had bit off more than they could chew when they targeted the lone elves. He risked a quick glance around. A short distance away, the other elf was standing above his friend. His friend, who laid on the ground. His friend, who wasn't moving.

The bandit didn't hesitate to charge at the other elf. With a battle cry, he swung his sword at him. His bloodlust blinded him to all but the one who murdered his friend.

Cedric yelped as another bandit came running. He could barely dodge the strikes, for the sword reached far longer than the axe from before. When he looked into the bandit's eyes, he could not find a single shred of compassion. All good in the bandit had died long ago, replaced by the evil of his hatred. As Cedric fought against the cold steel of the sword, he came to a realization. He hadn't had to be in a sword fight since…

Since…

Kellindil grabbed the blackjack just as it was about to be swung. Without hesitating, he stabbed the bandit in the gut. The bandit uselessly grabbed at Kellindil's knife, then slumped over. Kellindil kicked him off his blade, feeling pride in such a fight. Then, he heard it. A scream. Kellindil whipped around to find Cedric falling to the ground, with red staining his clothes, and a bandit standing proudly over him, sword stained red.

In that moment, everything became a blur. Time stood still. Kellindil vaguely registered it when his legs worked the hardest they've ever had in his life. In what seemed like no time at all, his wrist was grabbed with two hands, stopping it in place.

"Please, no!" Cedric sobbed at the top of his lungs. "There's been enough bloodshed!"

Kellindil blinked. He was straddling the sword bandit, with his knife raised high in the air. The stench of piss filled the air, intermingling with the scent of blood emitted by Kellindil's knife and the various cuts on the bandit's body. Kellindil relaxed his death grip on both the knife and the weak throat beneath him, letting his hands return to his sides.

"Wha…?"

Cedric hugged Kellindil from behind, crying into his shoulder and leaking tears and blood onto his armor. Kellindil tentatively took one of his hands and held it, rubbing his thumb into the palm. Neither of them noticed when the bandit passed out, too occupied with comforting each other.

"We should… probably… move away." Kellindil said at long last.

"Yeah…"

They moved off of the unconscious bandit, careful not to touch his crotch. When they had shifted off, Kellindil stared at Cedric's wound.

"You're hurt."

"It's nothing…" Cedric sniffled and rubbed his nose with the back of his hand. "Believe me, I've survived much worse." He turned away and began to loot the bandits, effectively ending the conversation. "C'mon, they tried to rob and kill us. Only fair that we steal from them." Cedric muttered the last part in a weak attempt to convince himself of that.

Kellindil joined Cedric in the theft, keeping a close eye on him the entire time. Together, they managed to take anything of value, including some food and their own money. Kellindil even managed to find some pure alcohol and a full inkwell on the bandit leader.

"Cedric?"

"Hm?"

"You done?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's get out of here." Kellindil stood up. "We need to tend to you. Soon."


	5. Chapter 5

Kellindil followed Cedric back into his home. Once they were inside, Kellindil put the pure alcohol and inkwell on the table and shucked off his clothes until he had stripped to his pants and undershirt. His newfound knife absentmindedly remained in his hand as turned to Cedric, who had immediately laid down on his bedroll.

"Dric?"

"Fuck off…" Cedric groaned.

"Dric."

"What?!"

"Take off… your shirt." Kellindil ordered.

Cedric shot up, heart lurching in his chest. Kellindil was standing there, just staring at him. After a pregnant pause, Kellindil made an 'oh' sound, complete with the face, and put the knife down. Then, he took a rag out of his bag, picked up the alcohol, and held up both.

"Wounded… Needs dis… disin…"

"…"

"Disin-"

"FOR FUCK'S SAKE!" Cedric screamed, shooting up. "YOU GAVE ME A FUCKING HEART ATTACK!" Immediately, he fell back, the energy drained from him with his scream.

"…Are you…?" Kellindil was at Cedric's side in an instant.

Cedric took a few deep breaths. "Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just an outburst, is all."

"Shirt…"

"Oh yeah." Cedric sat up and took off his vest, then his shirt. 

Cedric's chest was covered in vine and leaf tattoos, which started at his neck, swirled around on his pectoral, and disappeared underneath his pants. The tattoos continued down his arm, where they stopped just above the elbow. Kellindil tore his gaze away from the tattoos, specifically the ones that ventured south, and poured a bit of alcohol onto the rag.

"This will sting." Kellindil warned Cedric before gently swiping the wet rag over his wound. Cedric hissed through his nose, but otherwise he did not react to the ministrations.

Before they knew it, Kellindil was done. The wound was far more shallow than Kellindil had initially thought, only barely cutting the skin. Cedric wouldn't even need stitches. Now Kellindil felt like a complete and utter fool.

"Still can't believe you're alive…" Cedric muttered. "I saw your death. How did you even…"

Kellindil put a finger to Cedric's lips. Cedric quieted immediately, watching Kellindil's face. He took the alcohol and took a swig, waiting for Kellindil to say something.

"That's not even… nevermind." Kellindil shook his head. "Feel better?"

"Emotionally, yeah." Cedric shrugged. "Not physically, though."

Kellindil rubbed Cedric's knee. He gave it several soothing circles before he spoke up. "Want me to make dinner?"

"No, I got it." Cedric got to his feet. As he turned, Kellindil managed to get a very good look at his back, which held larger patterns than his front, but otherwise matched it. Like the front, Cedric's tattoos led the eye lower, then abruptly disappeared under scratchy-looking pants. "Light the fireplace for me, would you?"

\-----

All was silent as Cedric served Kellindil a serving of rabbit stew. Cedric gave himself a portion, then he sat with Kellindil side-by-side. They ate together, helping themselves to more whenever their bowls ran dry. Kellindil seemed to dominate the dinner, eating fast and scooping stew into his bowl faster.

"What are you, a bottomless pit?" Cedric joked over his third bowl for the evening.

"Ish a hiny bow." Kellindil pushed through his mouthful of food.

"Iiiiii have no idea what you just said."

Kellindil swallowed. "I said it's a tiny bowl." He then scooped up the remains of his seventh helping into his mouth.

"True." Cedric admitted. "Want more?"

Kellindil chewed, then answered. "You still hungry?"

"A little…"

Kellindil looked into the pot and found just enough for two more bowlfuls. "Sure." He took a ladleful and poured it into his bowl.

"How's your throat, by the way?" Cedric asked. "Earlier today you couldn't talk at all."

"Still hurts a little, but I'm okay." Kellindil smiled. "I recovered fast, didn't I?"

"I know! I bet by tomorrow morning it'll be like you were never…" Cedric abruptly stopped himself.

"Like I was never choked?" Kellindil smirked. He ate a spoonful of stew.

"Yes." Cedric nodded. "Are you… how do you feel?"

"Fine."

"No, I mean how do you feel about it?"

Kellindil paused. "I'm fine. A part of me's still shaken up about it, though."

Cedric sidehugged Kellindil for what seemed like the millionth time that day, and at the same time felt like it was the first time. "You're safe now."

"…Thanks." Kellindil leaned his head on Cedric's shoulder. "You should have the last of the food."

"Thanks." Cedric took the stew and began to slowly eat it, savoring the taste.

Kellindil put his bowl down and returned Cedric's hug. Together, they cuddled in front of the fireplace. Despite the overall temperature remaining consistent, the room felt warmer when they touched, and when Cedric broke away to get some water, it felt like winter's bite had sunken its teeth into the room. Kellindil shuddered the same time Cedric did. Years of living in winter hell could not prepare him for how cold it was when the contact was ceased. Without thinking, he lunged towards Cedric and wrapped his arms around his midsection, holding him in place. The warmth returned, and Kellindil relaxed.

"…The fuck?" Cedric stopped.

"It got really cold without you."

"What? No, it's just… I hadn't felt like that since… nevermind."

"What?"

Cedric sighed sadly. "I once had a soulmate. Whenever we would cuddle, we would always stay warm, and when we parted, we would feel this… intense cold. It wasn't like any other cold either of us had ever experienced. When we broke up, I felt that cold for months."

"…Your soulmate?"

"Yeah, my soulmate."

"Your soulmate."

"What about him?" Cedric turned his head towards Kellindil, who was resting his head on his back.

"…Nevermind." Kellindil buried his face into Cedric's naked back, taking in his woody yet sweet scent.

"Kell?" Cedric tapped Kellindil's arm. "Could you let go of me?"

"No."

"I need water."

"I need the warmth."

"It'll only be for a second. Please?"

Kellindil sighed and let go. Just because they were expecting the cold didn't mean it was any less shocking. Cedric clenched his jaw and powered through it, grabbing a cup and getting himself some water. When he went back to Kellindil, he found him curled up into a ball, with his teeth chattering like there's no tomorrow. Cedric hugged him, mindful of his water, and both of them relaxed and warmed up immediately.

"Seriously, what the fuck is with the…?" Kellindil gestured to them both.

"Maybe we're… no. Impossible." Cedric adjusted his hug until he was in a more comfortable position.

"What?"

"Nothing. Forget I said anything."

"C'mon, teeeellll me." Kellindil insisted.

Cedric glanced at the collection of pillows and blankets in the corner, which functioned as a sort of 'bed-nest' for him. "It's getting late, maybe we should turn in for the night."

"Don't change the subject!" Kellindil verbally and literally pouted.

"Bedtime!"

"No!"

"Bed!"

"I will only accept this change in subject if it leads to kinky dragon sex!"

"…What?!" Cedric pushed himself away from Kellindil.

"Now that I've got your attention," Kellindil cleared his throat and wrapped his arms around himself. "What's so bad about… whatever the fuck you were thinking?"

Cedric suddenly found the floor to be the most fascinating thing in the world.

"Cedric," Kellindil laid his hand on Cedric's knee. "You can tell me. I promise I won't get mad."

Cedric looked into Kellindil's beautiful green eyes, so different from his past soulmates, and found sincerity. Warmth. Kindness. And something else Cedric refused to put a name to.

"I was thinking that…" Cedric swallowed. "We… we could be…"

"Go on."

Cedric took a deep breath, then pushed out his words before he could give himself the chance to hesitate. "We could be soulmates." Kellindil's eyes widened, so Cedric hastened to smooth things over. "I mean, with the cold thing, and how fast you healed after we touched, it could be possible! But maybe I'm justbseeing something that isn't there, and it could just be my crippling loneliness-"

Kellindil grabbed Cedric's shoulders. Cedric stopped. "Thank you for telling me." Kellindil took Cedric's hands and wove his fingers in between hism "I personally don't believe in all of that, but if you… feel something for me-"

"I don't!" Cedric yanked his hands away and put some distance between him and Kellindil. "It's just… I…"

"Cedric." Kellindil's voice soothed Cedric, calming him down immediately. "If you need some time to figure things out, we can sleep on it."

"Thanks." Cedric gave a relieved smile. Hesitantly, he reached towards Kellindil. Kellindil met him halfway, holding his hand. 

They hugged once again, but it was Kellindil who initiated it this time. They cuddled on the ground, not even noticing how the warmth from the fire died down until Kellindil opened his eyes.

"Fire's going down…" Kellindil absentmindedly noticed.

"That's okay." Cedric nuzzled into Kellindil's neck. "Wanted to…"

Several seconds ticked by. "Dric? You didn't finish your sentence."

When he gained no response, Kellindil tapped Cedric's shoulder. No response. Kellindil shifted Cedric into one arm, and found his eyes to be closed. Kellindil giggled and pushed some of Cedric's hair out of his face.

"Goodnight." With that, Kellindil carried Cedric over to his bed-nest and tucked him in. After a thought, he joined him underneath the covers and soon fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6

Cedric awoke to the sound of mourning doves singing in the forest. He stretched, feeling his shoulders pop with the motion. Next to him, Kellindil laid sleeping, clutching Cedric's abdomen as he snoozed.

"Good morning." Cedric whispered.

"Mm, morning." Kellindil sleepily groaned.

"Sleep well?"

Kellindil offered no response. Cedric ran a hand down Kellindil's hair before taking his hands and prying them off. When they broke skin contact, Kellindil shot up and hugged Cedric.

"I'm awake! I'm awake!"

"Sorry. Didn't mean to shock you." Cedric sheepishly apologized as he scratched the back of his head. "Only wanted to get out of bed."

"Well fuck you for trying to do that." Kellindil muttered into the crook of Cedric's neck.

"Fuck you for making me feel things."

"Fuck you for being so tall."

"Fuck you for being so pretty."

"…You think I'm pretty?"

Cedric nearly pushed Kellindil off of him in realization of what he just said. "Hey, you want some scrambled eggs?"

"Don't change the subject! You think I'm pretty!" Kellindil gave a shit-eating grin.

"Hungry! I said hungry!"

"Nooooo, you clearly said pretty!"

Cedric screamed, and then he actually pushed Kellindil away this time. He bolted over to the pantry area and frantically dug out some eggs. "You want quail? Chicken?!"

"You think I'm pretty~!"

"Quail it is!" Cedric shrieked, grabbing a single quail egg from a basket. He took a bowl and cracked the egg on the side so hard it exploded.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" Kellindil's laughter rang through the home. "What the fuck are you even doing?! That's not how you crack an egg!"

"O-oh?" Cedric looked at Kellindil, then back to his bowl. "Oh! Could you, uh, show me how it's done then?"

"Sure." 

Kellindil crawled over to where Cedric was sitting and plopped down next to him. His elbow knocked into Cedric's arm as he took a large egg and crushed it in the palm of his hand. Cedric stared with a tired expression as Kellindil dumped the remains of the egg into the bowl.

"…Are you fucking kidding me?"

"What?"

Cedric sighed and shook his head. "I dunno what the actual fuck that was, but that's not how you crack an egg."

"Hey, that's how my papa taught me!"

"Then your papa was wrong." Cedric took another egg. "You're not supposed to get eggshell in, well, anything. Except for soil. They help plants grow."

"…Is that why no one likes my eggs?" The look of sheer realization on Kellindil's face made Cedric burst into laughter. "Hey, what's so funny?!"

"Ha ha ha, you, snrrrt, you didn't-!" Cedric began another wave of laughter. "You didn't know that, know that youuuu ha ha ha ha!"

"Oh, go fuck yourself!" Kellindil turned away, crossed his arms, and pouted like a five-year-old.

"Maybe when I'm alone, ha ha ha…" Cedric wiped the tears from his eyes. "Anyway, wanna see how to properly-"

"Fuck you!" Kellindil flipped Cedric off over his shoulder.

"Suit yourself." Cedric verbally shrugged, picking up an egg and this time properly cracking it. "But if you ever-"

"I'll smear egg all over your shirt."

"Okay."

"I mean it."

"I believe you." Cedric took two eggs and cracked them both at once, then dumped them into the bowl.

"I will do it!"

"Okay." Cedric poured one last egg into the bowl. He took a fork and beat the eggs.

"Aaargh!" Kellindil threw his hands up in the air and hit the floor with them, wincing at the pain it brought.

"You okay?" Cedric paused to look over to Kellindil.

"Yeah… It's just… nevermind. Is it alright with you if I wash my hands in the bucket?" Kellindil lowered his head to look at his filthy hnds.

"There's a washbasin over there." Cedric pointed to the inconspicuous washbasin sitting in the corner. "Want me to fill it up for you?"

"Yeah." Kellindil nodded.

Cedric put down the bowl of eggs and stood up.

\-----

The pair ate in silence, with only the sound of clinking silverware and the crackling of the fireplace keeping them company. At some point their legs had been brought together, and neither of them wanted to take them away.

"Sho, Cedreh," Kellindil spoke through a mouthful of food. "Whash wif you and scherls? Di' fey steal you girfrien or somefing?"

Cedric stared into the fire. "Kind of. Don't like talking about it."

"Oh." Kellindil swallowed his food. "You hunt for a living, right? You catch a lot of them?"

It took a second for Cedric to understand what he meant. "I thought you were talking about the Scoia'Tael for a minute. And I catch a decent amount, not enough to be significant."

"What do the Scoia'Tael do?"

"Basically, they…" Cedric scratched his head. "They, uh, basically they're protesting against racism, but they're extreme about it, so, like, they kill people."

"Can't say I've ever dealt with any groups like that." Kellindil finished off his eggs and stood up, shivering at the loss of Cedric's touch. "Are you done?"

"Once second." Cedric crammed the remaining eggs into his mouth and nodded, standing up.

"What do you normally do in the morning?"

Cedric pointed to his collection of traps, his bow and arrows, and his bag of bait.

"Oh, so d'you hunt all day, or…?"

Cedric shook his head while chewing.

"I could go with you. I'm a ranger, you see. I could help you, repay some of my debt."

Cedric shook his head. He finished chewing and gathered up his gear.

"It'd be no trouble, I-"

"No." Cedric stopped Kellindil in his tracks. "You don't have to repay me. The way I see it, you never owed me in the first place."


	7. Chapter 7

"And over there," Cedric pointed to a small clearing, where a river crossed through it. "Is where I get my water."

"How many buckets do you usually get a day?" Kellindil asked, dodging the trap Cedric had pointed out earlier.

"Oh, it depends. I usually get two in the morning, and then get more whenever I need it."

"You bathe here?"

"Yep. It'd be stupid if I went through all the trouble of bringing water home if I just dump it on myself." Cedric laughed, taking off his shoes. "Speaking of which, are you alright if I start bathing?"

"Alright? I'd be more than happy to join you!"

"Wha… What, no, no no no, you don't have to…"

Kellindil gave Cedric a Look, then he shrugged. "If you don't want me to, just say so. Otherwise…" Kellindil put his bow and arrows on the ground, then unbuttoned his overcoat.

Cedric's mouth grew dry as Kellindil stripped down. Inch by inch, lean muscle decorated with battle scars was revealed as Kellindil paid no attention to his audience. When he reached his underwear, he finally looked at Cedric's face… and then he looked lower.

"Like what you see?" Kellindil smirked, throwing his pants to the side.

"Oh, fuck!" Cedric grabbed his bad and brought it out in front of his crotch. "I- I'm sorry! Gods, this hasn't happened in years!"

"Dric."

"It's not that I'm a pervert or anything, in fact it's the opposite, I haven't had sex in over a decade! I really don't know why my body's reacting like this-"

"Dric."

"Actually, I kind of do, I was watching you strip, oh gods, I really am a pervert-"

"Cedric!" Kellindil grabbed Cedric's shoulders. "Don't worry. It's fine. To be honest, I'm flattered."

"You… you are?"

"Yeah." Kellindil nodded. "But, uh, I don't want to have sex. Just so we're clear."

"Didn't think you wanted it anyway." Cedric stepped away, letting Kellindil's hands slide off him. "I'll just…" Cedric pointed pointed down the river, then bolted in that direction.

\-----

No matter how hard Cedric scrubbed, he couldn't wash away his feelings. He constantly blushed without even thinking of Kellindil. Not to mention how Kellindil's apparent interest in him was making butterflies flutter in his belly. Cedric shook his head and dived underwater. After a few seconds, he rose again, wiping his hair out of his face.

Cedric let his mind wander to Kellindil's body, now that he was safe and alone. Kellindil had muscle, that was clear, with a layer of healthy fat on top. He had various scars, which looked to have come from battle, but altogether he didn't have too many. Cedric could tell he favored the bow over the sword, much like…

_Cedric playfully nipped at the vine tattoo at his love's shoulder, drawing out a giggle as his one true love kissed the tip of his ear. Laughter erupted from them both as they started to tickle each other, rolling around in the grass as the birds chirped and the clouds shifted to grant them more shade._

All of a sudden, what seemed like a bucket of water rained down on top of Cedric's head. Cedric whipped around to find Kellindil giggling in the water behind him.

"Gotcha!" Kellindil splashed Cedric again, this time hitting his chest.

"Oh, it's on!" Cedric cupped his hands together and flung water into Kellindil's face.

Kellindil retaliated by tackling Cedric and partially submerging him in the water. From then on, it was war. They splashed and wrestled with playful aggression, neither gaining the upper hand. At some point, they got too tired to fight anymore, so they laid down on the bank of the river. Occasionally, they would giggle, but for the most part they rested.

"Hey, Dric." Kellindil poked Cedric in the boob.

"What?"

"I'm from another universe. Maybe."

"'Kay." Cedric murmurred, tucking his face into Kellindil's shoulder.

"Dude, izzat awesome or what?"

"Mm-hm…" Cedric wrapped an arm around Kellindil's waist and fell asleep. After a few moments, Kellindil succumbed to slumber as well.

\-----

"Fuck you and fuck your idea to bathe together." Cedric grumbled as he stripped out of his shirt.

"Oh, come on. You have to admit it was fun." Kellindil found the calendula ointment Cedric kept on hand and unscrewed the jar.

"I'm the one who got sunburnt!" Cedric shouted, pointing to his back.

"Relax, I've got you. It's a pretty minor burn, so you should heal pretty quickly."

"So?! I got sunburnt because of you!"

"Do you always get this cranky?" Kellendil giggled.

"Sun. Burnt."

"Okay, fine, fine. Lemme just…" Kellindil sat cross-legged behind Cedric. He dipped two fingers into the ointment and scooped up a small glob. "Nice tattoos, by the way."

"Oh, uh, thank you." Cedric's face turned a slight shade of pink.

"Where'd you get them?" Nimble fingers dragged across the pinkened areas of Cedric's back, spreading medicine as Kellindil rubbed it in.

"Don't wanna talk about it…"

"Oh." Kellindil paused for a second. "So, uh, you like living here?"

"For the most part, yes. There's bad things here, I'll admit, but I like the quiet."

"I meant living in Flotsam."

"Fuck no." Cedric frowned. "It's filthy there, and there's crime everywhere."

"Why stay, then?" Kellindil moved on to another part of Cedric's back.

"Squirrels."

"…Squirrels?"

"Yes, Squirrels. They often ambush people travelling through the woods, and I REALLY don't want to risk running into any."

"…Okay."

Kellindil finished with Cedric's back, allowing them both to move around. Cedric immediately turned and hugged Kellindil. As soon as he touched him, the heat from his back started dissipating, and the pain faded.

"Dric?"

"Mm?"

"Why'd you tell me to use the ointment if just touching me would have healed you?"

"Because it doesn't heal minor burns. At least for me. I can't speak for elves as a whole." Cedric muttered, climbing into Kellindil's lap. "It only makes the pain go away."

"I see." Kellindil verbally nodded. Several minutes passed before Kellindil jolted. "You meant the Scoia'Tael!"

"What?!" Cedric jerked his head away.

"Earlier, when you were talking about the ambushes, or something! I thought you meant the critter!"

"Oh." Cedric physically could not contain his laughter. "Those darn- hee hee hee- darn rodents!"

"They- they're the scourge of the world!" Kellindil giggled. "No one can stop them!"

"They're armed with the deadliest claws known to the world!"

"Always devastating merchant caravans!"

"Watch out for their nuts! They throw them at the- at the speed of liGHT!!!!" Cedric toppled over, taking Kellindil with him. They crashed onto the fortunately soft furs serving as carpeting, making Cedric wince as his burns were aggravated.

"Oh fuck, you okay?"

"Yeah, lemme just-" Cedric groaned as he propped himself up. His bones popped and creaked with the motions. "Hey, why're you smiling like that?"

"Old man."

"No."

"Ancient!"

"No!"

"Soon you'll need one of those walker things!"

"Kell, I swear I will throw this shoe at you!" Cedric brandished his shoe like it was the most deadly weapon in the world.

"Won't you break your arm in the process, gramps?"

A boot hit Kellindil square in the face.


End file.
